Coventry invests in road equipment

A new piece of equipment in Coventry Township will help the road department complete many tasks. The most common uses for the gradall are for ditch digging, culverts, road excavation, park grading, stormwater, and storm cleanup.

A new piece of equipment in Coventry Township will help the road department complete many tasks. The most common uses for the gradall are for ditch digging, culverts, road excavation, park grading, stormwater, and storm cleanup.

A new 2012 off-road gradall was recently purchased to replace a 1992 highway model. The new gradall travels 20 mph and has a 360-degree swing.

"We saved money before making this purchase," Coventry Road Superintendent Lael Stouffer said, "and the new gradall will work better for what we do in the township."

Coventry began saving money for the new gradall in 2005 and the machine wasn't purchased until it was certain that enough money had been saved to cover the cost.

Stouffer believes the money is well-invested as the new gradall is expected to be in service for more than 25 years. It will also serve the township well as it has the capability to work on tighter roads within the township.

"With the new model," Stouffer said, "it allows us to do more and broaden our service capabilities. It is one of the most important machines we use."

Several road department projects were put on hold until the new gradall arrived so that it could be used on them. Recently, the gradall was used to help place rocks near the clock tower as improvements were made to that area due to weeds and erosion.